Dining table accessory



May 21, 1957 G. s. PADIAL 2,792,667

DINING TABLE ACCESSORY Filed Sept. 27 1955 rfl INVENTOR. GU. QTTJZIO5020771077- .Padia Z Mot/ 040! mam/A m 7M ATTORNEYS United States PatentDINING TABLE ACCESSORY Guillermo Solomon Padial, Caracas, VenezuelaApplication September 27, 1955, Serial No. 536,926

Claims. (Cl. 45-683) This invention relates to a dining table accessory,and more particularly to a tablecloth.

Heretofore it has been customary to use separate plates for dining,which plates are subjected to breaking, hard to clean, or if discardableplates are used, expensive. Separate mats have been proposed havingplates built therein. These mats did not cover the entire table and alsohad to be individually cleaned.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a tablecloth havingplates as an inherent part thereof.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a tableclothwhich may be readily cleaned.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a tableclothhaving all of the desired advantages which is nevertheless inexpensiveto manufacture and easy to produce.

Other objects and advantages are set forth in the accompanyingspecification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the dining table accessory of thepresent invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along the lines 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a broken top view of one individual plate on the dining tableaccessory of the present invention;

Fig. 4 is a section taken along the lines 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a section of 1a modified form of the present invention;

Fig. 6 is a section of the supporting strip used in the modified form ofthe present invention shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a section of still another modified form of the presentinvention; and

Fig. 8 is a section of the disk used in the modified form of theinvention shown in Fig. 7.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a dining table accessory 10 inthe form of a cloth 11 which covers the entire surface of the table 12.The cloth comprises a relatively large flexible sheet of imperviousresilient material which is adapted to be spread on a table and over theends thereof, as shown. At spaced intervals in the cloth and as anintegral part thereof, I have provided formed portions 13 in the shapeof dishes adapted to hold food and the like. The formed portions aremade of and are a part of the relatively large flexible sheet ofimpervious resilient material. The sheet of material is also relativelythick in the preferred embodiment of my invention so that it will holdall types of food including soups, and the like. The tablecloth madeaccording to the present invention is particularly adapted for use infeeding children and for use on picnics and the like. The tablecloth maybe washed in its entirety with the same cleansing operation alsocleaning the plates themselves, which as aforesaid are an integral partof the tablecloth.

In the modified form of the present invention shown in Fig. 5, thetablecloth 15 is provided with formed portions in the shape of dishes 16which are adapted to hold food. In this modification the tablecloth maybe of relatively 2,792,667 Patented May 21, 1957 thin material. Theformed portion, as shown, has a raised edge providing an annular groove18. In order to maintain the shape of the dishes with this relativelythin ma terial, a ring 17 is provided and accommodated within the groove18. The ring is made of impervious flexible washable material which maybe secured in the groove or the ring may be removable so that it can bedetached prior to washing the cloth and the integral plates thereof.

In the modification of the present invention shown in Fig. 7, thetablecloth 20 may be made of any suitable sheet of flexible imperviousresilient material. The formed portion 21 in the shape of a. dish isprovided and adapted to hold food or the like. For use where it isdesired to cut the food, a disk 22 of relatively hard easily washablematerial, such as "a hard plastic, metal, or the like, is preferablybonded to the tablecloth in the formed portion covering the entiresurface of the formed portion 21. When this disk is utilized, accordingto the present invention, a knife or other sharp instrument may be usedwithout damaging the cloth itself. If desired, the disk may comprise aremovable insert of relatively hard ma terial.

It will be seen that I have provided a new and novel tablecloth adaptedto cover the entire table and to be draped over the sides so that nofood may be spilled on the table itself and having formed plate-shapedportions as an integral part of the tablecloth. This cloth including thedish portions may be easily washed and is especially adapted for use inoutdoor picnics or the feeding of children whereby separate plates whichare subject to damage or expensive discardable plates may be dispensedwith.

While I have described the invention in some detail, it will beunderstood that variations and modifications may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appendedclaims.

I claim:

1. Asa new article of manufacture, a dining table accessory comprising arelatively large, flexible sheet of impervious resilient materialadapted to be spread on a table and draped over the ends thereof in themanner of a tablecloth, said sheet having flexible formed portions inthe shape of dishes, adapted to hold food and. the like, said portionsbeing devoid of undercuts.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a dining table accessory comprisinga relatively large, flexible sheet of impervious resilient materialadapted to be spread on a table and draped over the ends thereof in themanner of a tablecloth, said sheet having flexible formed portions inthe shape of dishes, adapted to hold food and. the like, said formedportions having raised edges providing annular grooves, and being devoidof undercuts; and rings accommodated in said annular grooves toreinforce said raised edges and prevent collapsing thereof.

3. The invention as defined in claim 2 in which the sheet is relativelythin.

4. The invention as defined in claim 2 in which said rings areremovable.

5. As a new article of manufacture, a dining table accessory comprisinga relatively large, flexible sheet of impervious resilient materialadapted to be spread on a table and draped over the ends thereof in themanner of a tablecloth, said sheet having flexible formed portions inthe shape of dishes but devoid of undercuts, adapted to hold food andthe like; and disks of relatively hard material carried in said formedportions.

Burrowes May 27, 1919 Uhalt Oct. 4, 1932

